


Vandalism Brings us Closer

by SpeedOfSnake



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: And coffee, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, and trying really hard not to think about snufkin, moomin can survive on jam right?, moomin's in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeedOfSnake/pseuds/SpeedOfSnake
Summary: Moomin wakes up early from hibernation and decides to go on an adventure to take his mind off of "certain" people. On the way, he finds some vandalism left by Snufkin.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Comments: 15
Kudos: 118





	Vandalism Brings us Closer

Moomin stared at the clock for a long moment. There was no misreading it, there was a week left until spring. Moomin sighed, he had no desire to spend the next week waiting for everyone else to wake up, eating nothing but pine needles. He checked the window, hoping that maybe, Snufkin was early this year. He wasn’t of course, and Moomin felt a bit foolish at the ache in his heart when he saw the no tent on the grass. He sat at the table and grabbed a handful of pine needles, hoping they might be tastier than he last remembered. They weren’t, of course. He tried to keep his thoughts away from Snufkin, but typically when he wakes up, that’s all he can focus on until he sees his friend. So, he allowed himself a period of wallowing, before deciding he needed a plan.  
“What would Snufkin do?” he wondered. The answer was obvious. Snufkin would wander and explore, but it wasn’t like Moomin could do the same.  
Unless…

Ten minutes later he was all packed up, having managed to find a tent, sleeping bag and several jars of jam to keep himself fed. Moomin stepped outside, ready to explore, before faltering. He wasn’t Snufkin, and he had only been camping with his family, what would he do if he got lost? Or ran out of food? Perhaps a plan would be wise for his first excursion alone. He pulled a map out of his bag and started looking at nearby attractions. His attention was caught by a nearby village, a day and a half’s walk away with a clear path leading to it. He remembered Snufkin talking about it.  
“The coffee there is amazing,” he had said. “I always try to get some coffee from there every year, but I usually use it within a week.”  
It was perfect! He was sure Snufkin would only buy one bag of coffee at a time, but Moomin could take much more with him. He’d give a few to Snufkin- just image how happy he’ll be! Maybe he’ll even give Moomin a hug! Moomin sighed wistfully at the thought. He shook his head to get out of his daydream, his face heating. He shouldn’t daydream about unlikely events; they just made his heart ache more when they didn’t happen.  
He filled a wagon with some jam that he could trade for the coffee and set out.

Snufkin had said that travelling alone was perfect for getting to know oneself, but the problem was there were parts of Moomin he’d rather not know. Or rather, parts he knew all too well, and knew they were better left alone. But with no one else to talk to, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He couldn’t stop imagining Snufkin’s reactions to the coffee. His eyes would light up, he would reach out to take the coffee from Moomin, their paws brushing softly- and Moomin loved the softness of his paws, always wondered how they’d feel on his face and-  
Moomin stopped his train of thought for the fifth time that day, his heart hammering in his chest.  
Moomin wasn’t stupid. He knew why he was thinking these things, but he hoped that if he didn’t acknowledge them, they might go away. No matter how much Moomin wanted to gently stroke the other’s paws-  
Nope, he wasn’t thinking about it. Snufkin was his best friend and he’d do anything to keep it that way.  
Moomin spent the rest of the day trying hard to keep his thoughts on track.

It took him several tries to get the tent up, and even longer to light a fire. Maybe he could get Snufkin to show him his tricks. Maybe they could camp together! They’d go off on a little adventure, and of course they’d share a tent for less weight, and also a sleeping bag-  
Moomin spilled some water on the fire. He related to the sizzling sound it made.

He ate some of the jam he had, along with some berries he’d found before curling up in his sleeping bag and going to sleep.  
Moomin dreamed that Snufkin was teaching him a slow dance and he felt quite warm when he woke up, despite the frost on the ground.  
Whatever dreams he had never bothered him. He’d had dreams where he’d befriended giant talking vegetables, so obviously his dreams were just nonsense. He ate his breakfast in a daze, allowing himself to dwell on the dream a little longer.

The second day of travel was harder. His legs and arms were sore from the previous day’s travels. But he kept his motivation by thinking about the coffee. Just the coffee.

On rare occasions, Moomin wakes up earlier than Snufkin. Maybe he could make a few cups of coffee and greet him at his tent. Snufkin would still be half asleep as they’d drink their coffee on the logs surrounding the fire. He’d be so sleepy that he’d lean into Moomin and rest his face in his fur.

Moomin studied the map, trying to shift his thoughts, as if the path wasn’t extremely simple. But looking at the map, he remembered something else Snufkin had said.  
“There’s an area near the town surrounded by a wooden fence. At first, I just knocked the fence down, but then they’d cut down more tree to rebuild it. Instead, I’ve been vandalizing them! They have to sand them down afterwards, which keeps them busy!”

Moomin knew what to do. What would Snufkin think if Moomin also wrote on the fence? They’d be partners in crime! Snufkin would be so proud!

Moomin kept an eye out for the fenced off area, and by mid-afternoon, he saw it. The fence was made of big posts with planks of wood connecting them. The area inside the fence wasn’t much different from the area outside, except for the amount of garbage left inside.

Moomin strode up to the first post and saw with glee that Snufkin’s old messages hadn’t been sanded away.  
“The forest belongs to us all!” the first post said. “Nature is not your dump!” said the second, and so on. As Moomin went further, the messages got less coherent, until they dissolved into doodles. At first pictures of trees and birds and then-  
It was a picture of Moomin! His parents were there too, and Little My, and Snorkmaiden. The next few posts were similar, the group doing various activities. Moomin couldn’t help but notice that the Moomin and Snufkin on the fence were always next to each other. “As it should be,” he couldn’t help thinking. He came across a scene where they were all dancing. He and Snufkin were dancing together. His dream came back to him and he couldn’t help the lovestruck sigh that escaped him.  
“It’s just a silly drawing. It means nothing,” he tried to tell his fluttering heart. He moved to the next post and saw-  
Moomin blinked.  
It was just him and Snufkin this time. They were holding hands. Above them there was definitely, a heart.  
Moomin’s own heart pounded in his chest.  
He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them. He hadn’t imagined the drawing. Then maybe he was dreaming. But the soreness in his arms and legs were too real.

He didn’t know how long he spent staring at the drawing, thinking of multiple explanations, each one more unlikely that the last, until he slid to the ground.  
Could it really be possible, that Snufkin felt the same way as him?  
All the years of denial came crashing down on him. He had known deep in his heart how he felt, but actually admitting it wasn’t the same.  
He buried his heating face in his hands, realizing that maybe he could really do all the things he longed to do like holding hands and dancing and…  
Moomin was completely overwhelmed.  
He gave himself a few minutes to cool off, before standing again. He still had a mission. He continued to the next post, in which the drawn Moomin and Snufkin were kissing.  
Moomin fell to the ground again.

By the time he found a bare post, he wasn’t sure his heart could take much more. But what to draw? Maybe a continuation of what Snufkin had drawn? But there was no way he could! Just looking at the drawings was enough to turn his legs to jelly.  
He instead decided on a simple design. He drew a big heart with “M+S” written inside. After that, he hurried on his journey.

The shopkeeper was more than happy to trade the jam for coffee. Luckily, the bags of coffee were much lighter than the jars of jam. He traded his last few jars for some food to keep him alive in the next week.

He spent the rest of the trip in a daze. His brain had a lot of catching up to get on the level of his heart. He spent half his time quantifying his feelings, and the other half indulging in daydreams. By the time he got back to Moominvalley, he had a plan.

When everyone else woke up, they couldn’t tell there was anything different about Moomin. He still waited all day on the bridge, then at night he would stare out the window longingly, as he did every year. The only difference was now he would carry a bag of coffee with him everywhere he went.

On the third day of Spring, Moomin was watching the fish swim beneath the bridge. He was tempted to throw them a bean to see if they’d eat it but decided against it.  
Then he heard the harmonica. His stood up, hiding the coffee behind his back. His heart was beating so hard he could barely hear the tune.  
A few moments later, Snufkin appeared out of the trees. Moomin’s heart swelled with affection and it took all his effort to stay still.  
Snufkin reached the middle of the bridge, where Moomin was standing, just as he played the last few notes. He put the harmonica back in his pocket.  
“Moomintroll,” he leaned casually on the bridge.  
“Snufkin,” Moomin couldn’t help how soft it came out. Snufkin didn’t seem to notice, only smiling a little brighter.  
“I have something for you!” Moomin said, clutching the bag.  
“Oh?” Snufkin turned to face him.  
Moomin held out the coffee. “It’s the coffee you told me about, the one that you like!”  
Snufkin looked delighted. “Really?” he reached out to grab the bag. “How did you come across this?”  
“I went on a mini adventure to get them,” Moomin explained. Snufkins’ paws held the bag and he was about to take it. “And!” Moomin said loudly, causing Snufkin to pause with his paws still on the bag. “I remembered something else you told me before.”  
Snufkin regarded him quizzically.  
“About vandalizing the fence nearby,” Moomin casually moved his paws so they covered Snufkin’s. “I decided I wanted to join you in your rebellion against the park!”  
Snufkin’s gaze softened and he smiled. “Did you now?” Moomin was so distracted by Snufkin’s expression that he almost forgot to continue.  
“Yes!” he said. “And I noticed, the drawings that you left.”  
Snufkin’s face paled immediately. “My drawings?”  
“Yes, on the posts-”  
Snufkin tried to pull his paws away but Moomin held them tight.  
Snufkin’s face turned red. “They were- I, I can explain-”  
“I-” Moomin exclaimed again. “I like them!”  
Snufkin stopped, looking at Moomin with wide eyes. “You… like them?”  
“Yes,” Moomin said softer, absentmindedly stroking Snufkin’s fingers. “I like them a lot.”  
“Oh,” Snufkin swallowed, averting his gaze to the side.  
There were more things Moomin wanted to say, but maybe for now it was enough. He gently removed his paws from Snufkins’. Snufkin slowly brought the coffee to his chest and pulled his hat down. Moomin waited for him to process.  
“Would you,” Snufkin started quietly. He cleared his throat. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”  
“I would love one!” Moomin beamed.

They built the fire and made the coffee in comfortable silence. And when it was ready, they sat close beside each other on the same log. Even though Snufkin was wide awake, he leaned into Moomin’s fur as they drank their coffee.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> This fic was inspired by Ink by Coldplay (I think it's a pretty fitting song for them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZFopMcTCo8)  
> I think the whole carvings in wood thing has a lot of potential. I like the idea of Snufkin bringing Moomin somewhere and forgetting about the carvings, so he has to try and hide them/explain them (I probably won't write this but anyone can feel free!)


End file.
